Locomotive tender with material handling equipment



Oct 12 1954 E. G. BAILEY :TAAL 2,691,455

LOCOMOTIVE TENDER WITH MATERIAL HANDLING EQUIPMENT Filed April 8, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 12, 1954 LOCOMOTIVE TENDER WITH MATERIAL HANDLING EQUIPMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 8, 1949 SPI ww\ INVENTQRs Err/in G gai/ey? BY/Qa/,vz M/fardgmve 1Q am ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 12, 1954 UNITED STATE T OFFICE LOCMOTIVE TENDER WITH MATERAL HANDLING EQUIPMENT ration of New Jersey Application April v8, 1949, Serial No. 86,173

Claims.

This invention relates to material handling` devices and more particularly to a coal handling installation involving a bin associated in a particular manner with a coal feeder.

This case is particularly concerned with a coal tank for a locomotive tender which advantageously uses the maximum available cross sectional available space and provides auxiliary apparatus making it possible to recover for use substantially all of the coal which such a coal tank holds.

A tender of great coal capacity both as to cross sectional dimensions and longitudinal dimension is desirable for high capacity coal burning locomotives which are to operate with infrequent stoppage for coaling.

While the clearance limitations and optimum overall length of the tank determine the maximum available carrying capacity, it is necessary that means be provided to facilitate loading of the space to its fullest extent, and secondly, provide for withdrawal of substantially all of the coal, for optimum effectiveness of the tender.

These requirements have not been met by prior art tenders which customarily utilize only a portion of the available cross-section space of the tender, because of inclined hopper walls, and which usually require moving of the locomotive along the track beneath a loading chute if the maximum ll is to be attained. Y

The present invention involves atender having an elongated coal storage space of substantially rectangular cross-section provided with means whereby it can be lled to a uniform height throughout its length from a single coal receiving zone. This means comprises longitudinal coal transfer devices, and trimming conveyors of the screw type.

The present invention also provides for the utilization of substantially the entire capacity of the storage space and its discharge from the storage space to fuel utilizing apparatus such` overall length in-excess of 40 feet, a transverse'v width of 8 feet, and a height extending from the frame to the maximum permissible by limiting railway clearances, with storage capacity equal to the contents of a fifty ton railway car.

The coal storage structure is arranged to be sealed so that it may be operated at super atmospheric pressures, and with coal charging and coal discharge apparatus which will insure such sizing of coal that clogging by lumps or We@ coal Will be avoided, eliminating necessity of any manual work within the storage bin, in normal road operation. Such difculties are of more importance where the internal dimensions of the bin are such as to provide maximum capacity.

More specifically, the invention involves a bin feeder adapted to deliver coal from the lower part of a coal bin, and so constructed and arranged as to reliably deliver the coal to a point of discharge under conditions which may, at times impose such resistance to the movement of the coal through the feeder that driving mechanisms therefor including prime movers such as electric motors substantially require such driven components as friction clutches which are automatically releasable upon a predetermined overload. The use of such components not only involves additional original expense and increased maintenance, but it also does not promote reliability of operation of the feeder.

It is one object of the invention to provide a bin feeder so constructed and arranged that, if the resistance offered by the coal to the feeder mechanism reaches a predetermined high value,

the prime mover will instantly cease operation,

but will remain in such condition that it i11- stantly resumes operation when that flow resistance decreases below another predetermined value. The invention also involves an arrangement oi' prime mover and driving mechanism whereby the prime mover Will not be injured or damaged to any extent by the period of inaction during the period of increased flow resistvof that flow resistance below a predetermined lower value.

'f The invention also involves a-coal bin having an inlet for the loading of the bin at periodic intervals, this inlet being associated with load trimming devices which promote the uniform loading of the bin with coal and also decrease the time required for loading.

The invention further associates with the bin loading inlet and the associated trimming mechanism, a coal breaker which not only prevents coal units of excessive size from entering the bin, but breaks up those units tosuch smaller sizes that they are usable by the feeder and; by the coal firing system to which the feeder may discharge.

The invention will be describedwith reference to the accompanying drawings in which an embodiment of the invention is illustrated, and other objects of the invention will appear as the description proceeds.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a vertical longitudinal section of the illustrative bin with bin feeder, trimmer, and breaking mechanism operatively associated therewith;

Fig. 2 is a plan section on line 2--2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is an outside plan with the hatch cover withdrawn from the loading opening, and indicating the coal trimming apparatus;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a vertical section on the line 5 5 cf Fig. l, showing the arrangement of the coal or elevating conveyors for delivering coal to a pulverizer and associated with the remaining parts of the bin feeder.

The coal bin lil` as indicated by the drawings is of such dimensions that it meets the dimensional limitations involved in its use on a locomotive tender. The oor I2 is arranged for mounting directly on the tender frame or may be formed by a closed frame. sidewalls |3 and |5, end walls l2 and l2. and the curved deck complete the enclosure of the storage space. As indicated by dot-dash lines in Figs. 4 and 5, space within clearance limitations is provided longitudinally of the bin as a passageway I9.

The deck Il' is provided with two openings 4| and 43. The coal loading opening 4| is arranged with a hatch cover |92 movable by an air cylinder and carried on rollers |04 and |95, while opening #i3 is normally closed with a flanged closure as indicated at 41. Both of these closures are of a type which can be sealed so` that the coal storage space may be operable under superatmospheric pressure. In this respect a fiexib-le tubular inatable gasket 49 is provided to seal the space between the hatch cover |92 and the frame surrounding the opening 4| whenthe hatch cover is positioned in the closing position indicated in Figs. 1 and 4.

With the hatch cover |02 in a retracted position indicated by the dotted lines at 5| in Fig. 3, coal may be spouted from an overhead supply source through the opening; 4|. A pair of coal trimming screw conveyors extend longitudinally oi the bin from the opening 4l to the opposite end of the bin, being located close to the inner face of the top deck. The-screws are positioned by the shaft bearings 5i and 59 at the forward driving end, by a hold-down bearings such as 291)V adjacent the opposite end of the opening 4| and by cylindrical support sleeves |29, |29', |2|, |2I, |22, and |22 at the longitudinally spaced positions indicated.

Where the trimming screws extend beneath the charging opening inthe-spaceA ishoppered by longitudinally extending plates (such as Ril-201i) except for a portion of the lower periphery of each screw in which groups of longitudinal extending bars ISG- |37 are arranged in spaced relationship toact` as abar screen to limit the size of coal lumps which may be discharged through the screws to the subjacent space.

Groups of crusher teeth IMJ-|45 extend from the rearward end wall of the hoppered space in a direction oblique to the axes of the screws so that excessively` large coal lumps carried rearward by the rotating screws as they act to advance coal. through their respective orices in the wallwill be subjected to a crushing action between the teeth and the driving edge of a screw.-

The trirnming screws ||2 and I4 are arranged to be operatively driven by a power source such asmotor H5 through chain H6., sprocket |I'| and interconnecting gears H8, the screws being oppositely pitched and. rotatable, in opposite directions.

With the above described. arrangement of a single charging opening and the related trimming apparatus, coal as received throughy the.

asmuch as the storage of pulverized fuel withinv the pulverized fuel systemmay not be suflcient to operate at high rates for any but a limited period of time. Accordingly, the coal feeders and supplementary. coal recovery. conveyor associated therewith are arranged in a manner to insure feed of coal to the pulverizer down to a relatively small residual quantity in the bin. The bottom of the'bin isarranged with a transverse recess ML, having a removable cleanout.

doorr 2||lalong aportion of its inclined bottom.

Inclinedfeeder screws i4, and I6 extend from a position in the recess below the level of theA bottom, i2, where they are carried by bearings 89, through the. rear wall l2 at a position adjacent thel top of the bin. The shafts extend through an air pressure sealing chamber and.

bearing structure 22|!` to complementary sets of driving bevel. gears. 86, 88, the latter receiving power froma motor, which also drives a. rotating pressure sealing feeder 9U towhich the screwsY discharge. The feederl screws and the sealing feeder Sil are driven at a rate determined bythe coal requirements of thefpressure type, pulverizer 94. tol which the rotary feeder discharges through conduit 92.

The feeder. screws are encased in tubes If and I6 extending from anelevation near thebottom to an elevation near the top whence a bottom sector ZZEeXtends/to the Wall i2.

To insure the-coalsubmergence of theflower ends of the feeder screws |.l|, and |6, two'. groups of.- screw conveyors arearranged across thebottomcf the bin and are operable to move coal from :longitudinally spaced zonesgofthebin to, the; Such grou-ps5; arc.-l

central transverse recess 40. shown as,y |8 to 22. and 61h64,. the; parallel screws of. each group operating inconcave troughsvv between` whichl longitiidinallyv extendingr cricket.v

5, structures extend to the height `of the axes of the screws. The screws of the respective groups are held in their operative positions in their respective troughs by spaced top embracing guides such as 32-36 or 66-69.

The screws I8-22 are driven from the forward end where their shafts extend through an air seal chamber 236 and are connected by gearing and a chain drive to driving means such as a steam engine 44. Screws Gil-S4 at the rear end of the bin are correspondingly driven by an engine 14 through similar power transmitting devices. The direction of rotation of the two groups will be in opposite directions inasmuch as they are similarly pitched and it is desired that they act to move coal toward the central recess portion of the bin bottom.

When the bin is full of coal and a considerable gravitational load due to the weight of the coal is exerted downward on the discharge end portions of the screws l8-22 and Gil-64,'the power to drive the screws is very high; on the other hand, when, through the operation of screws I4 and I6, a considerable quantity of coal is withdrawn from the central portion of the bin above those screws at their lower ends, the height of the coal above screws l8-22 and Gil-64 over the discharge end portions of their lengths will be reduced and the pressure against the discharge end portions of the screws which must be overcome, will be reduced.

In the operation of the pusher screws I8-22 and Ell-64 the steam supplies to their respective engines are throttled down to such a degree that the engines will stall when the coal over the receiving or lower end of the feed screws I4 and I6 is at a height in excess of a predetermined value, for example three feet. While the steam supply of a predetermined maximum pressure, controlled by a pressure reducing valve 22D is continuously supplied to the engines a constant torque will be exerted on their respective screw drive assemblies but will be'counter-balanced by the resistance of the head of coal in excess of the predetermined value. When the feeder screws I4 and l5 then remove coal from the central portion of the bin, the height of coal will be reduced to a value at which the screws will oer insuihcient resistance to the engine torque and the engine will automatically start and continue to operate until the coal level at the central zone will reach a height to develop a torque resistance which will stall the engine.

During a period in which the feed screws I8 to 22 and Sil-@d are inoperative, the inclined conveyors I4 withdraw material from the transverse hopper or zone 4D until the level of material is reduced to a predetermined extent, for example, three feet above the bottom of the bin. Thereupon, the resistance of the load to the rotation of the above indicated conveyors has decreased to such an extent that the conveyors automatically begin operation. During their operation, they deliver material to the zone 40 at a rate greater than the rate of removal of the material by the inclined conveyors, and this action causes material to pile up to a greater height in and above the zone 4t. This action continues until the increased depth of the material again causes the conveyors I8 to 22 and t@ to t4 to cease operation.

The above described cycle of operation is automatic when the bin is lled to a height developing the engine torque resistance in the screw assemblies. When the coal height is lowered still further the engines are operable at slow speed to push the coal to the coal receiving ends of screws I4 and I6' until substantially the entire contents have been removed if not replenished.

It will be apparent that the steam engine is not the only powering means for the screws l8-22 and SII-64 having the desirable torque characteristics,

requirement of a head of coal over the coal receiving ends of feeder screws I4 and I5.

While in accordance with the provisions of the statutes we have illustrated and described herein the best form of our invention now known to us, those skilled in the art will understandthat changes may be made in the form of the invention covered by our claims, and that certain features of our invention may sometimes be used to advantage without a corresponding use of other features.

What is claimed is:

1. In a material bin and its associated material handling devices, power operated conveyor means for withdrawing material from a receiving position adjacent the bottom of the bin, second conveyor means feeding material from one end of the bin along its bottom to said receiving position, and powering means operating the second conveyor means with a continuous torque of a value suicient to Operate the second conveyor means when the height of the material over the discharge ends of the second conveyor means is reduced below a predetermined value but insufficient to operate said second conveyor means when the depth of the material at the said receiving position and over the discharge portion of the second conveyor means is above a predetermined value, the powering means exerting a continuous torque on the second conveyor means even when said conveyor means is motionless.

2. In material handling mechanism, means removing material from a supply zone, and other means including a continuous torque prime mover and conveyor element normally operating beneath a stratum of the material to move material from the stratum to the supply zone at a rate greater than the rate of removal from said Zone by said rst means, said conveyor element being subject to a weight of the material upon it and subject to automatic cessation of its operation when that weight of material exceeds a predetermined value, said other means also being automatically operative when the weight of the material above it is reduced below a predetermined value.

3. In a locomotive tender coal bin and its associated coal handling equipment, means forming a hopper extending transversely of the floor of the bin at a position intermediate its length, a plurality of pusher screws arranged longitudinally of the bin at its floor with their discharge ends adjacent said hopper, a constant torque driving means for said pusher screws, said last named means operating the screws at a torque value sufficient to cause the screws to be inoperative when the height of the coal above the discharge ends of the screws is above a predetermined value and suicient to automatically resume the operation of the screws when that aesinet-z height'lfof thel coal falls below: apredetermined value, inclined'l conveyor means Lnormaliyifeeding' coal' from saidliopper to 2 anl` elevated discharge position at one endortlieibin; andailoading` hatch'at` the top of Vthe bin;

4; In arailW-ay car bodyand tslassociated'ima--l terial handling devices; the# car bodyVY having sides, ends and bottornproviding a material ycontaining chamber;

bottomof the car body; second'conveyor 'means normally'feeding materialffrorn both ends of-thel car'body' to saidf receiving f position,- said second conveyor means including a front groupofconveyors moving material' fromone-end i of f thefcar body toW-ardsaid receivingposition and a-rear grou-p of conveyorsf moving material from theh oppositeend-offthecar'body to -said receiving position'the' receiving position'between and abovethe discharge ends of the groups of conveyors being freefrom structural obstructions; a rst' low pressure steam engine'driving-the first group of conveyors from onev endv ofthe car'body; and

a second low pressure steam engine driving thepovver operated conveyor means having its inlet or supply end disposerlloee` neath--- a: materialv receiving position adjacent 1li-ef 8E veyors is: reduced', below r a certainr value but insuicientto operatelthe'group conveyors when the-depth of' the material atvthe receivingposi tion-andover thedischargeen'ds of the group conveyors is greater than said certain value.

51. The combination-of` claim 4 further characterizedbythe provision of a longitudnalate. tendants closed' passageway leading longitudina-ily ofthe car body from the rststeam engine to `the second and'disposedwithin the transverseclearance# limitations of f the car body.

References Cited` in ,the file: ofl this' patent UNITED' STATES LPATENTS Number Name` Date 1,404,985 Lower Jan.` 31, 11922 1,606,228- Hunt Nov. 9,- 1926 1,856,5721 Lower; etal. May 3, 1932 1,889,562 Moulthrop Nov.- 29,1932 1,915,757- Perce June27, 1933 1,915,758 Pierce June'271933' 2,029,295 Anderson Feb. 4, 1936 2,029,296 Harrison Feb. 4-, 1936' 2,066,756 Anderson Jan. 5, 1937 2,089,710y Hansen May 18, 1937' 2,141,920 Lenhart; Dec. 27, 1938 2,190,724 McBride" Feb. 20, 1940 2,237,428 Hanna Apr. 8, 1941 2;-285g236 Van Etten; June 2, 1942 

